According to ClimateWatch, the energy sector accounts for almost 75% of carbon emissions worldwide. One of the biggest emitters within the energy sector is electricity. While the Pacific Island nations contribute so little to greenhouse gas emissions, they suffer the most from the impacts of climate change. However, a sustainable energy solution can help the Solomon Islands and Tonga.
An important step toward attaining climate resilience and sustainability in the Pacific was taken at COP29. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced historic agreements with the Solomon Islands and Tonga to begin sustainable energy transition initiatives. These Pacific Island nations have been greatly dependent on fossil fuels for electricity. Despite that, just 16% of the homes in the Solomon Islands had electricity, according to a 2020 feature story. The lack of electricity in the Solomon Islands results from structural, financial, and geographical obstacles.
Meanwhile, Tonga is home to a small population of roughly 103,000 people, with 177 islands spanning 700,000 square kilometers. Imported diesel satisfied more than 90% of its electricity demands
Energy is a major issue for Pacific countries like Tonga and the Solomon Islands. They are susceptible to supply chain interruptions and price fluctuation due to their reliance on imported fossil fuels. This then affects community access to energy and economic stability. The ADB projects will concentrate on updating distribution networks to guarantee dependability and efficiency while incorporating renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, into national grids to address these problems.
ADB Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Scott Morris, and the Solomon Islands Minister for the Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, Trevor Mahaga, signed a $5 million grant agreement and a $10 million concessional loan agreement to support the Solomon Islands Renewable Energy Development Project. The project is being co-financed with $10 million from the Saudi Fund for Development.
Under the Solomon Islands Renewable Energy Development Project, it will install 2.5-megawatt solar farms in the Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces. This initiative will also install the Solomon Islands’ first utility-scale, grid-connected battery energy storage system to integrate more renewable energy into the grid. The power sector reforms will be supported, and the environment will be more conducive to private sector involvement and investment in renewable energy. In addition to such initiatives, the Solomon Islands Electricity Authority will get capacity-building assistance to enhance its capacity to maintain and run the battery energy storage system sustainably.
Mr. Morris and Tiofilusi Tiueti, the Minister of Finance, Revenue, and Customs of Tonga, signed the grant agreements for $4.6 million. The $1 million came from the Asian Development Fund. The Clean Energy Fund (International Climate Initiative of the German government) contributed $1.5 million, and the European Union contributed $2.1 million. The Australian Government will grant $5.6 million to the Ministry of Finance of Tonga. This will be a budget support to help with the joint financing of expenses related to the purchase of products and construction.
By building a new 33 kV electrical network to evacuate energy from a solar power plant and modernizing a piece of the current 11 kV network, the Tonga Grid Enhancement for Sustainable Energy Transition Project seeks to assist the Government of Tonga in reaching its 70% renewable energy target. This initiative will better equip Tonga Power Limited (TPL) to build and maintain the 33 kV network because of this initiative, which will also help TPL create corporate-level gender policies and action plans. The project intends to considerably lessen the country’s dependency on imported fossil fuels, increase the power grid’s resilience to disasters, and increase energy accessibility.
Mr. Morris affirmed ADB’s unwavering dedication to enhancing energy security, affordability, accessibility, and sustainability throughout the Pacific. He added that these initiatives “will significantly reduce Solomon Islands and Tonga’s reliance on fossil fuels and enhance the disaster resilience of Tonga’s power grid.”